Lathe charger

Abstract

To make coincide cutting centers of two end surfaces of raw wood with the axis of spindles of a veneer lathe, at least two axial corrections which are performed in a state in which the raw wood is held by centering spindles are required. Conventional apparatuses suffer from too complicated structures and enlargement of the cost because of the complicated structures. A correction operation of an axial direction of correction operations in the two axial directions is performed such that only a movable centering spindle is moved in a direction intersecting a direction in which holding arms are extended/contracted. Another correction operation in another axial direction is performed by extending/contracting the holding arms.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A lathe charger comprising: 
       a pair of centering spindles for holding end surfaces of raw wood, said pair of centering spindles comprises a first centering spindle which rotates, moves in an axial direction, and moves perpendicular to said axial direction and a second centering spindle, positioned opposite to said first centering spindle, which rotates and moves in an axial direction;  
       profile sensors positioned in said lathe charger for detecting the raw wood;  
       a sensor for sensing a rotational angle of said centering spindles;  
       centering means for automatically calculating cutting centers of the two end surfaces of the raw wood held by the pair of said centering spindles in accordance with the signals supplied from said profile sensors and said rotational-angle sensor;  
       said centering means comprises a movable frame mounted on guide members, having said first centering spindle mounted thereon, said movable frame reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the axial direction of said first centering spindle;  
       a pair of holding arms for holding the raw wood in place of said pair of said spindles;  
       means for moving said holding arms in such a manner as to move said pair of holding arms between said centering spindles and spindles of a veneer lathe for an arbitrary distance, wherein said pair of said holding arms can be extended/contracted and one of said pair of said centering spindles is structured to be capable of moving in a direction which intersects a direction in which said pair of said holding arms are extended/contracted when viewed from a side of said end surface of said raw wood;  
       a control mechanism is provided wherein when one of the end surfaces is viewed in parallel with the axis of said centering spindles in a state in which the raw woods, having cutting centers of the two end surfaces which have been calculated, is held, one of said pair of centering spindles being structured to be capable of moving until an imaginary straight line passing through the two coincident cutting centers is made to be in parallel with the direction in which said holding arms are extended/contracted at the position at which said holding arms hold the raw wood;  
       members for holding the raw wood are changed from said centering spindles to said holding arms at the position to which said centering spindle has been moved; and  
       said holding arms are extended/contracted and said holding arms are moved to said spindles of said veneer lathe by said means for moving said holding arms so that the two cutting centers and the axes of said spindles of said veneer lathe are made to coincide with each other.  
     
     
       2. A lathe charger according to claim  1 , wherein said means for moving said holding arms is a rotating mechanism arranged to be rotated about a rotational shaft thereof, and the imaginary straight line passes through the axis of the rotational shaft when one of the end surfaces is viewed in parallel with the axis of said centering spindles. 
     
     
       3. A lathe charger according to claim  1 , wherein said means for moving said holding arms is a moving mechanism comprising rails for movement, and the imaginary straight line passes through the axis of said holding arms when one of the end surfaces is viewed in parallel with the axis of said centering spindles.